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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · leaves · bound · pitcher · row · can · kid · fall

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fall — to drop
  4. kid — child
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. can — to be able to
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cap — of ice
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cap — a lid
  23. can — a tin
  24. bound — certain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com